The Nation - News from Feb. 14, 1986

Federal Aviation Administration officials grounded an American Airlines pilot and his cockpit crew who made three attempts in poor weather to land a Boeing 727 with 125 passengers and ended up popping a hole in the jet’s fuselage. The FAA said it had taken the action against the flight crew for operating the aircraft in a “reckless manner.” The agency said Flight 844 made three attempts around midnight Friday to execute an instrument landing at the Harlingen, Tex., airport about 600 miles south of Dallas. The FAA said that on its third try, the plane hit approach lights and struck the ground 400 feet short of the runway. After the third missed approach, the crew flew to San Antonio, where the plane landed.